Roasted Asparagus With Lemon Vinaigrette --Courtesy Melissa D'ar

JT'sMom's Note:

Simple, fresh, and bright. Serve warm or cold. Recipe by Melissa d'Arabian, winner of "The Next Food Network Star" 2009. Her show is called "Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian". This recipe is from "Savory Savings" episode. This would be wonderful dish for a picnic. COOKS NOTE: I had more asparagus then the recipe called for so I doubled the Vinaigrette but used only about 3/4 of it. Since you have the whole lemon anyway, you might as well double it. I did not want to saturate the asparagus but felt it needed more. I also used some of the lemon zest as a garnish and served it chilled. It was wonderful...

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• ¾ lb fresh asparagus , washed, woody stems removed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the Vinaigrette

• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ lemon , juiced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash asparagus well to remove any sand from the tips, break off woody part of stem by holding the stalk at each end and gently bending until it snaps. pat asparagus dry.
3. In a large bowl toss asparagus with the olive oil, and liberally season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread the stalks out on a baking sheet, in a single layer, and roast until tender but still firm and moist, about 10 minutes. If you are using the really "skinny" stalks, be careful not to over roast them.
5. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette, see Cooks Note:.
6. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the mustard and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking quickly to emulsify the olive oil into the juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Transfer the asparagus to a serving platter, toss with the vinaigrette and serve. The dish may be eaten warm or cold.